Recovery

0 of 11 done

• Get your number back on a new SIMDone

  Ask your operator for a new SIM or eSIM with the same number

  Bring ID. Most operators give it only to the account holder

  Do it this week. After 30 days some operators give your number to someone else

  Abroad? Ask for an eSIM

  Restart the phone. Test a call, a text and mobile data

  Ask for proof in writing that the SIM and the phone are blocked. Keep the reference number

  Mark as done
• Ask your bank for your money backDone

  Report every payment you did not make, as soon as you can

  In many countries the law says your bank has to pay you back. A PIN seen or a phone left unlocked is not always your fault

  Ask for the answer in writing

  Check for loans or credit opened in your name

  Bank says no? Complain to the financial ombudsman. It is free

  Get legal advice from a consumer group or a legal aid office. Many give it for free

  Mark as done
• Check every app that can payDone

  Look at payment apps, online shops and your phone bill

  Report what you did not buy. Some refund it

  Paid by card? Your bank can also try to reverse the payment

  Mark as done
• Check your phone billDone

  A block does not end your contract. Keep paying the plan and the phone

  Look for calls, data and payments the thief made

  Dispute every charge made after you reported the theft

  Operator will not fix it? Complain to the telecom regulator or ombudsman

  Read your contract before you cancel or upgrade. There can be fees

  Mark as done
• Claim on your insuranceDone

  Claim before the deadline in your policy. Some give only 30 days

  Home, travel, bank card and phone contract insurance can each cover theft

  Send the police reference, the receipt and the proof that the phone is blocked

  Claim before you remove the phone from your account

  Phone comes back after you claim? Tell your insurer

  Mark as done
• Recover your accounts the official wayDone

  Use the recovery page of the service itself

  Never pay anyone who offers to recover an account for you

  Change sign-in methods one at a time. Changing them all at once can lock an account for 30 days

  Mark as done
• Watch your accountsDone

  Check your email and bank for new sign-ins every week

  Remove devices and apps you do not know

  Check email forwarding, and your recovery email and phone number

  Change every password you also use on other sites

  Mark as done
• Continue watching for scamsDone

  A message says your phone was found? It is a scam

  Thieves send fake messages and links to get your passcode or account password

  With it they can unlock the phone and sell it

  Never give your passcode to anyone

  Mark as done
• Erase the phone when you are sure it is goneDone

  Open the page you used to lock it. Choose Erase

  An erased Android phone no longer shows where it is. An iPhone still does

  Do not remove the phone from your account. Then it stays locked for the thief

  Mark as done
• Set up your new phoneDone

  Restore your data from your backup

  Sign in again to your banking and mobile money apps

  Set up your digital ID again

  Sign in to your messaging apps. End the session on the old phone

  New number? Update it at your bank, email and government accounts

  Mark as done
• Got your phone back?Done

  Tell the police and your insurer

  Ask your operator to lift the block. Only you can, with ID or the block reference

  Erase it before you use it again. A thief may have installed something

  Mark as done